Oman- OPL champion Al Nahda finishes with a flourish

(MENAFN - Muscat Daily) Salem al Shamsi scored a hat-trick for domestic champion Al Nahda as it trounced Shabab 6-2 in the final round match of the inaugural Omantel Professional League (OPL) at the Seeb Sports Stadium on Friday.

Al Nahda was crowned champion of the inaugural OPL on April 27, two weeks before the final round was played.

This is the club's third domestic league title. Juma Saeed opened the scoring for Al Nahda in the tenth minute and Shamsi increased the lead five minutes later. Shabab's Mohammed Taki reduced the deficit in the 33rd minute.

Shamsi then made it 3-1 in the 43rd minute, before completing his hat-trick two minutes later. Shamsi scored his fourth goal in the 48th minute before Al Nahda's Morroccan recruit Abdessamad Ouhakki completed the rout in the 53rd minute. Al Shabab scored a consolation goal in the 60th minute.

Al Nahda is also in line for a domestic double and its first His Majesty's Cup title as it takes on eight-time champion Fanja in the final on May 24 at Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex (SQSC).

The winning team will receive a total prize money of RO95,000 with RO70,000 to be given by the Ministry of Sports Affairs and RO25,000 by the Oman Football Association (OFA). Nahda's OPL title has already made it richer by RO25,000 that would be presented at the end of the season awards ceremony, organised by the OFA, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on May 22.

Also on Friday, second-placed Fanja blanked Sur 2-0 at the SQSC, while third-placed Suwaiq thrashed Majees 6-3. And Seebâ€˜s 2-1 win over Saham confirmed its fourth-place finish. Meanwhile, Saham will conclude its season on Monday when it plays in the final of the 29th GCC Gulf Cup on Monday against UAE's Al Nasr in Dubai.

Saham is only the third Omani club to feature in the final of the coveted regional tournament after Dhofar lost in the final in 1996 and Fanja won the title in 1989. Meanwhile, Majees and Al Ittihad, which were relegated to first division will be replaced by first division league winner, Al Khabourah, and runner-up Bausher for the next OPL season.

OPL's Al Nasr, which finished 12th, and Al Mudhaibi, which came third in the first division league, will play a two-legged playoff for the final spot in the OPL. The matches will be played on May 19 (Seeb Sports Stadium) and May 23 (Al Saada Sports Complex in Salalah).